The Long and Windy Road
by Schrodinger no Neko
Summary: Ah, the challenging path Ichigo must travel to find her true love... Ichigo is still dating Masaya but starts to have feelings for Kisshu. Now what? My first story, read and review please. FYI, I'm not really into character bashing (unless it's in-universe) so there will be none.
1. Stranger

**THE LONG AND WINDY ROAD:**

**STRANGER **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew. It belongs to Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida. . It really sucks how we can't do songfics, and originally it had lyrics in it but I had to take them out. Anyway it was partly inspired by "Stranger" by VersaEmerge, if you wish to check out the song. Anyway…don't sue me and enjoy. **

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo whirled around to face whoever was calling her name and was caught in a hug. "Masaya!" She smiled. No one would care if her cat ears would pop out now. It had been seven months since the aliens left, and there had been no enemies since. Maybe the occasional chimera anima now and then, but that was it. "I missed you." Masaya's reply was a gentle kiss on the cheek. The bell rang, and Masaya said, "I should go." He released Ichigo from his embrace. Ichigo sighed. "I love you. See you later," she said. She caught a glimpse of Masaya's smile, but this time it had a hint of something else in it.

Ichigo sprinted to class the next day and slid into the room just as the bell rang and Ogawa-sensei, her teacher, walked in. "Momomiya-san! Why are you tardy? It's the second day in a row you've been late!" he asked.

"Gomen…" She set down her new back-to-school messenger bag and pulled out a binder and pencil pouch. Masaya was in none of her classes this year, Ichigo remembered quite randomly. She sighed. _Maybe it's a good thing Aoyama-kun's not in any of my classes. It would be sort of awkward, because I'm just not as in love with him as I used to be. I guess our long distance relationship didn't work so well. _Ichigo and her mom left England three months before Aoyama-kun, so they had to resort to email and video call. The absence had left their relationship a bit strained.

"Momomiya-san!" Ogawa-sensei's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Who won the battle of Waterloo, please."

_"_Battle of Waterloo." She thought hard. "Um...Napoleon?"

"I see you've taken the time to learn one fact. Miyataki-san! What was the Congress of Vienna?" Miyataki Homura, track star, class overachiever and Ogawa-sensei's favorite, rattled off the information as fast as she could talk. _It's not fair you're good at everything. You're smart and hardworking and athletic and, well, smart, and I'm not any of those._ _Masaya is, though. He has all those qualities, but__ do I still love Masaya? I don't know..._

Ichigo greeted Moe and Miwa outside the mall. "How's it going with Masaya?" Moe asked.

"Good," she replied. "He ditched me for the second band." She laughed.

Miwa frowned. "No. what really happened? What really went on with you guys lately? You're not as fangirly as usual."

"I saw him for the first time since I left today. We kissed right before the end of lunch. And you guys know my mom and his parents were supervising us in England."

"Are you still hot for him?"

"Um…sure. He's a good guy, unlike some others and he's probably the only one my parents would let me go out with…" _Unlike Kisshu. It was a stretch getting Dad to let me go out with Masaya. Kisshu would definitely be disapproved. And I'm done sneaking around. Considering myself, he'd probably find out, and I'd be screwed._

"Come on, let's go guy-scoping. I'm tired of shopping. Ichigo, you have a boyfriend already. No flirting for you."

_I love my friends, but it's going to be hard to tell them who I'm really in love with. Hopefully we won't play any Truth or Dare or have any long, close girl-talks. They're too stuck on Aoyama-kun. After all, they were the ones who wanted me to go all the way on Christmas last year. _**(A/N: Episode 37)**

Ichigo turned the idea around in her head that night. _Do I break up with him then? I know I'm sort of needy, but if I don't love him them should we still go out? If we break up then who do I go out with? Do I love him? Not really. In fact, I love Kisshu but I just couldn't admit it to myself when I had the chance. Aargh!_

That night she dreamed she was on a date with Kisshu. It was almost everything she wanted. _I want to break up with Masaya and contact Kisshu again. I don't know how. Or if I should._

"So you don't love him anymore? And you want to end the relationship?" asked Zakuro.

"Well…" Ichigo trailed off.

"Long-distance is kind of hard. Me and Pai, we promised to keep in touch but we haven't communicated for a couple months. It's natural that you'd get cold feet after a long distance. Why don't you ask him out?"

"But I don't love him anymore. I would just be wasting his time. And..."

"What? Don't say you want to go out with Kisshu. He's a pervert and a jerk. Remember what he did to Momoka-chan?"

Ichigo sighed. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Anyway, he's not as bad as you think. When we were battling Deep Blue, he refused to kill me and died in a duel with his leader instead."

"Okay then. Maybe Kisshu's changed. But I still think you should consider your options a little more carefully. If you don't want to go out with Aoyama-kun, then you need to talk to him."

"But are you saying I should break up with him?"

"Think. Ask him out. Talk a little more and see how it goes. Then talk to me, and don't take love advice from Moe and Miwa."

Ichigo strolled through Inohara Park, holding hands with Masaya. "So, you said you love me?" she tried to sound lighthearted.

"Of course I do. But do you love me?"

Ichigo giggled and kissed Masaya, still wearing the mask of love. They walked through the park. Ichigo thought hard. _Is this really right for me? Is Aoyama-kun my fairy tale prince? I'm definitely more of a good person when we're going out. Now that we had to do long-distance I've reverted back to my old, aimless self. I don't listen to the right people. Do I? _They sat down on a bench hidden by bushes. Masaya put his arm around Ichigo's shoulders. "Sorry if I sound ignorant, but exactly how do you feel about me?" she asked.

"Ichigo, I love you. I love your outlook on life and the way you're honest with yourself and me, rather than trying to be someone you think others will like. Why?"

_Honest? Geez, I'm such a liar. _"I don't know. I was just curious."

"Okay then. How about you?"

_Here goes nothing,_ thought Ichigo. _I can't bring myself to tell him how I really feel. It will hurt him too much, and I don't want to be that mean_. _Time to lie again._

Ichigo brushed her hair before leaving for school. She felt her head split in half as she analyzed the two sides of herself, one good and one bad. The good side was the one she'd been listening to more often as she was with better people, but the bad side fought to take control. It was the part of her that wanted to break up with Masaya and see if Kisshu still wanted to go out. She decided to look into herself. But whenever she followed her impulses, she ended up doing something stupid. Like sinking into quicksand, and she was sinking lower and lower. _What's wrong with me? Why can't I be set free from this? I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts. I should love Aoyama-kun rather than reject him for a guy who doesn't even live on my planet. So what should I do? _

**Review please! I want feedback. In fact, I love feedback. Flames are welcome, unless you're just flaming for the sake of flames itself. If not then they will be used to heat my magical story oven so I can write better stories.**


	2. Kryptonite

**THE LONG AND WINDY ROAD:**

**KRYPTONITE**

**Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew. Or "Kryptonite," which belongs to 3 Doors Down. Read and REVIEW PLEASE and DON'T SUE ME!**

After kendo practice on Friday, Masaya walked to a café with his friends. Not Café Mew Mew, just an ordinary tea shop. As he strolled along, enjoying the afternoon sunshine and the company of his friends, his mind wandered to Ichigo. Lately she had seemed just a bit distant. She hadn't been as affectionate as she had, before she returned to Tokyo while he was still in London. _It's probably because of the long-distance relationship, _he thought.

_Well I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind_  
_I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time_  
_But I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon_  
_I feel there is nothing I can do, yeah_

_I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon_  
_After all I knew it had to be something to do with you_  
_I really don't mind what happens now and then_  
_As long as you'll be my friend at the end_

"Hey, Masaya! You're usually not this quiet. What's up?" inquired his best friend, Kai.

Jason, an American student, grinned. "How is your girlfriend?" he asked in slow, fragmented Japanese.

"Everything's going great," Masaya replied.

Kai made a face. "Aw, cut it out. There's something you're not telling us."

"Yeah. What is it?" probed his nosy friend Youhei.

Masaya shrugged. "Nothing."

Youhei shook his head. "I tell you, it's the girl. What, looking for another one?"

"Youhei, you're a world-class _baka_. Of course not." _No, but Ichigo…she's just…not the same…There's something up with her. I don't know what it is, but it's kind of bothering me. I really don't care how she's late, or misses dates, or acts ditzy. But if things could be the way they used to be. _Masaya shook his head rapidly, to clear his mind of the scurrying thoughts. _Man, I'm thinking like a girl._

_And if I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?_  
_If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?_  
_I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might_  
_Kryptonite_

Masaya sat at his desk that night, attempting to do his homework, but to no avail as his mind kept on wandering to Ichigo. Every graph seemed to be one of her face, or a cat. He was going insane.

She wouldn't think so, would she?

She would.

She wouldn't.

Ichigo would still stay with him if he truly was insane. Would she?

She would. She loved him. She had done so much for him. She had made chocolate for him on Valentine's day. She had refused to go with Kisshu even on the threat of death, because she wanted to stay here with Masaya. And she even gave up her Mew powers to bring him back from the dead.

She wouldn't. She was drifting away, after three months of being separated. She would be too afraid, or intimidated to continue to date a boy that had gone insane. Sure, she'd still love him, but from a bit more of a distance.

_AARGH! What am I thinking?! Ichigo's just adjusting after a long-distance relationship. Geez, don't be so sensitive. She still loves me, otherwise she wouldn't be with me. Because she's honest about her feelings, and when she isn't she's a really bad liar._

_You call me strong, you call me weak_  
_But still your secrets I will keep_  
_You took for granted all the times_  
_I never let you down_

"Hi, Ichigo. How's it going?" Masaya asked on Monday.

Ichigo smiled, a bit too widely to be a true Ichigo-smile. "Great, thank you. Except history class. It's so boring, I keep falling asleep during the lectures."

"Do you still dream about being a cat?"

"Yeah. But chasing my tail and eating bonito is way more interesting than that short French guy who tried to take over the world 200 years ago." She sighed.

"Napoleon?"

"I think so. How are you?"

"I'm good." _No, scratch that. I'm just okay. I mean, I think I might be just a little insane. I saw… _"When I was doing my math homework this weekend I saw your face in all the graphs."

"That's so cute! Sometimes I can see your smile in my mind. And sometimes…"

"What?"

Ichigo lowered her voice. "Can you keep my secret?"

"Of course."

"I drew a lot of pictures of you last year in class. But not anymore."

_Not anymore? That's a good and bad thing. _"I won't tell anyone. Promise."

Moe and Miwa appeared next to Ichigo. "Are you coming or not?"

"In a moment." Ichigo turned back to Masaya. "Actually, I think you're crazy. You see people's faces in your homework! I have to go." She left.

_What was that for?! _"Ichigo!" Masaya called after her, but she was already too far away to hear him. _Baka! World-class baka. Dang it, you shouldn't have mentioned that about the homework._

_You stumbled in and bumped your head_  
_If not for me then you'd be dead_  
_I picked you up and put you back on solid ground_

Masaya whacked a target with his kendo weapon, frustrated and confused. Ichigo was still in existence on the Earth, thanks to him! As the Blue Knight, he had saved her life on multiple occasions. He'd rescued her from the aliens, Chimera Anima, even herself. Masaya didn't understand. Where had he gone wrong?

_If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?_  
_If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand_  
_I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might_  
_Kryptonite_

He hadn't. _But what should I do about Ichigo? I love her, but it doesn't seem like she really loves me back anymore. _Masaya wanted to keep Ichigo with him. He had protected her and loved her, and she had done the same until recently. _What should I do?_

Now he knew.

**What's going to happen? Will Ichigo and Masaya break up? Will she get Kisshu? Find out next time I update. And review please. Flames welcome. They will just be used to bake cookies or whatever in my magical story oven. **

**Oh, yeah. Sorry for sucky chapter. I admit this isn't one of my best chapters.**


	3. 5 Favors

Sorry I will not be posting new chapters for a while...stupid writer's block and busy-ness... so check back sometime in the not too distant future!

See ya later, like 2-3 weeks!

Neko loves you! Bye-bye!

P.S. When I'm gone, can you do me a few favors?

1. Punch Kisshu in the face for no reason whatsoever besides the fact that I'm a terrible person

2. Give Ryou a purple penguin (thanks kisshuismylife for the review!)

3. Tell Nudge (from _Maximum Ride_) to SHUT UP SHE IS KILLING MEH HEARING!

4. Read my work on Fiction Press (same user name)

u/897505/

5. REVIEW it! Flames go to magical story oven to bake yummy story cookies.


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